The Sandlot: Summer of 1963
by martyrik
Summary: AU. The summer of 1962 is the one Benny and the Sandlot Kids would never forget. It was the summer he finally had a team of nine to play some ball, where Squints lip-locked Wendy Peffercorn and where he tussled with "The Beast" and had come out alive. For '63, he had big dreams of playing some real ball and watching fireworks. He certainly did not see any girls in the big picture.


**Disclaimer: 20th Century Fox owns The Sandlot (1993).**

 **The Sandlot: Summer of 1963: Chapter One: June 1963**

* * *

Marie Phillips was generally unknown to the small population of San Fernando Valley. Everyone referred to her either as "Phillips' Sister" or "The Other Phillips Kid." Only few care to learn her name and call her by it, narrowing that pool to only include her parents, her brother, Edward, and some of her teachers. She didn't really care for it because it meant fewer people in her business. But as she grew older, specifically that summer of 1963, people started to notice.

Especially her brother's teammates.

She always hated whenever they came over to get their brother to ride around town in their shiny bikes and lounge around the pool and spying on Wendy Peffercorn. Marie would be sitting on the porch, taking a cat nap on her grandmother's rocking chair after her morning reading when they would stomp up the polished, crisp white deck. She didn't have to crack her eyes open to know, to feel, their ravenous eyes raking over her body. She saw them as vultures, but she knew she was not dead meet to anyone.

She would feel disgusted, violated. Most of the time; she would be lucky and miss them, but occasionally, like that June day in 1963, she wouldn't be so lucky.

"Hey, pretty thang." Saunders, a big, iron-thick guy with a big cowlick and nothing rattling in his skull greeted her. His words were drawled, lowering an octave to show his masculinity. She stood up and slowly walked to the door.

"Um, hi." She was always at a lost when they would start talking to her. She wanted to yell at them, to them that she'll burn their eyes out if they don't turn their heads and march off her porch. But, she didn't have the heart, the grit, to tell them straight. "I have to go inside. Eddie will be down in a few, I'm sure."

"Stay a lil' longer doll." It's greased-haired Danny Guko who was sweet-talking her now. She disliked him more than Saunders because he would make physical moves on her, just like now. He took a step forward, placing a firm hand on the screen door. His sweat and cologne burned her nose. "Let's chat."

She frowned, backing away from the door to relieve her nose. She played with the hem of her collared, sleeveless top. Suddenly fascinated by the Tiffany blue material, she avoided their vulgar looks. "Um, no thanks, Danny. Maybe another time?"

He rolled his eyes, popping the bubblegum that was in his mouth. "Sure, sure." He sauntered towards her, his chest expanded and puffed out. She did not appreciate how he was approaching her. He had a smirk on his face like he knew a secret she didn't. "Then we can really get to know each other."

"Back off, Yucko." Her brother sneered, slamming their screen door to emphasize his threat. Saunders guffawed at the name he had called Danny; Guko easily slugged him in the shoulder. "That's my sister."

With arms raised in surrender, he backed away, tipping his ball cap to her before fully turning and hopping on his bike. He winked at Marie, and she flushed, thoroughly embarrassed by how shameless he was. The others, even her brother, would take it as she was smitten with Danny, but he did the opposite. She was repulsed by his antics, but she would never be able to voice it to him.

"Sure thing, Phillips. But I'll tell ya, that's one fine lady."

Marie happily grinned when Eddie gave him a nasty right hook in his crouch, knocking him and his baby blue bike over. "That's my sister."

Marie sighed and strode to the screen door, ignoring the wink Saunders sent her way. It made her shiver with disgust. Through the safety of her screen door, she watched the trio left on their bikes, laughing and sniggering. Marie sighed. She wished she could go on adventures like her older brother did.

It was the one thing her mother grilled her about. She absolutely despised the fact that Marie liked to get dirty and play ball. Though she was not one for snarky words and bold moves, she did enjoy the thrill of a ballgame and the rush of running home.

But, since it was summer, Mother forced her to play dress up and sit with her and play housewife. Marie did not enjoy her Mother's high-pitched shrills when she didn't dress up in her frilly bubblegum pink dresses.

"Marie! Come over here!"

She winced at the shrills and hurriedly walked to the sitting room. She deemed it "Mother's Showroom." Whenever guests, visiting family or her friends came lover, they would always sit, chat and sip margaritas with their high-society grace and mannerisms. That was one of the many, many things Marie disliked by how much income her father made as a CFO for some corporation.

Mother and Anita stood talking, Anita holding a long list in her right hand. Marie always liked Anita, she was spunky and didn't take disrespect from anyone, especially Mother. The fifteen-year-old was always surprised that Mother hadn't fired her when she talked back. Marie secretly thinks it's because Anita is probably the only other person who would willingly talk to her; Marie would always sadden at the thought.

The stick-thin, stern-faced and very much pregnant Anita jutted her hip and gave Marie a look. "No slouching, mija!"

She quickly straightened her back and rolled her shoulders, lifting her chin up. With Anita's nod, Marie turned to Mother.

"Anita can't go to the market today." Mother histrionically cried, her right hand favoring her forehead. "She's taking a leave before the baby comes, so we'll be on our own for awhile before she's able to come back. You know where the market is?" Marie nodded. "Good, good. Anita will give you the list for dinner when the Geoffrey's come over Thursday evening. Pick up everything and come back."

Marie owlishly blinked, oblivious to when Anita placed the list and money in her hand and walked out, saying her goodbyes before slamming the screen door shut. She had never gone to town by herself before; it terrified and exhilarated her heart. The adrenaline was already pumping through her blue veins.

She clenched the list and money right before running up to her room. Slamming the door, she quickly tore off the stiff shirt and tight, white pants before throwing on her favorite T-shirt and rolled high-waisted shorts. Mother would never let he leave the house like this, but Marie hoped she would be able to let her go this one time since she was only grocery shopping. With hopeful thoughts streaming through her mind, she sat her trusty, tattered red ballcap on her strawberry-blonde curls before slipping on Eddie's old black All-Stars. She never felt more like herself than now.

;;;

The bus ride to downtown was brief. The five-minute walk to the bus stop and the ten-minute wait in the sweltering LA heat was a drawback, but Marie didn't mind. She never did understand why so many people complain about the heat and turning up the A/C. She, too, was annoyed by it, especially when the A/C is broken, but she doesn't see the need to complain. Actually, she doesn't understand why a lot of people complain or whine, especially Eddie and Mother.

Mother mostly whined or droned on about what the Geoffrey's or any other family, particularly the moms, had said. She was addicted to the juicy gossip. But often at times, it would come back and bite her in the ass. Eddie, on the other hand, complained about losing to some rag-tag asswipers- "Edward John Phillips! Language!" Marie didn't know what was so bad about those kids either.

Her legs swung back in forth as she entertained herself with the idea of Eddie's shenanigans with those Sandlot kids. She didn't understand what was so bad about them, except for the fact they defeated the undefeated baseball team at their high school, South Fernando. It elicited a smile from her, even as the bus halted with creaks and groans. She stood up like the rest of the passengers and waited to exist. Giving thanks to Mr. Goodman, the driver, she plopped on the burning sidewalk and walked over to Vincent's Drug Store.

She casually strutted to Vincent's her two thumbs lounging in the front of her denim pockets. Her left thumb played with the crisp ten dollar bill that was neatly folded and tucked away for safekeeping. Mother always gave too much for grocery shopping; hopefully, Marie will be lucky enough and keep some of the change for herself. Despite it being almost 100 degrees, Marie enjoyed the sun's warm rays on her face, praying that it will tan and her pasty paleness will fall away. She hummed to herself the King's Devil in Disguise. She felt satisfied with how her day was unfolding; perhaps her luck was in her favor today of all days.

"Look out, chica!"

The sun was blocked from Marie's eyes as she fell, seeing only golden-brown and the smell of wet dog. It was an unbreakable force that ran into her, knocking her backward. Suddenly, she felt her arms and the back of her calves burning against the scorching concrete and the heavy amount of weight laying atop of her body. Her head was bruisin', and she was groaning from the impact. Her eyes were shut tight, but her face could feel the hot puffs of breath huffing her face. A slimy and wet liquid were dripping on her shirt. It had been a large, a very large dog, that had run her over. Marie was miffed by it.

"¡Mierda! I'm so, so sorry. You okay?"

She blinked her eyes opened and saw just what was breathing on her face. A giant and very handsome Mastiff sat on laid atop of her chest, stomach and legs; it was forcing his supposed "prey" down, refusing to yield. Its tail was swaying back in forth in a languid manner from the LA heat and humidity. When he fixed his eyes on Marie, he laid a long, slobbering wet kiss on the side of her cheek. More importantly, he didn't move.

"Hercules! Get off her! Get off you giant piece of ass! You're gonna crush her and then Mr. Mertle will have my ass handed to me. Get off you fatass!"

Marie wanted to laugh because this large beast was just too cute and he seemed so sweet, but he was crushing her lungs; her breaths shuddered and they were shallow. Blinking her eyes, she tried to scatter away the colorful dots blocking her vision. She seemed to be getting dizzier by the minute. Finally, after the boy pushed the dog off her, she could breathe. When the large Mastiff sat beside her, looking innocent of just what he had done, she truly let out a breathless laugh.

"Shit, shit, shit. Can you breathe? Hercules, you crushed her lungs you dumb dog."

"I'm fine." She breathed her words, trying to catch her breath; laughing was certainly not the best medicine in this case. Her words were miffed; choppy and inconsistent. She was disheartened by that, hoping that it wouldn't be as serious as she had believed it to be. Mother would never let her leave the house if she caught wind of this- "I told you to take your bike, didn't I? Now look at you!"

She easily sat up, blinking slowly to clear her vision and head. After the eighth blink, she could see the Hispanic teen kneeling beside her, a firm grip on the large Mastiff. He wasn't close like she had thought he was. There was a good two feet gap between their faces, and she could see him carefully keeping his distance, purposefully not touching her. Marie felt wounded at that; her pride lessened as she thought the boy was either repulsed or scared of what she might do.

Her hands gently massaged her scalp, easing the pressure and for sure bruise at the middle-back of her skull, the center point of where the sidewalk had impacted it. Smooth and lotioned fingers felt a small bump already forming on her scalp, her sunshine hair barely covering it. Mother would surely hand her ass to her now if she catches sight of it.

"Um, I think this is yours."

The boy handed a battered and stained red ballcap- her hat. She quickly snatched it from his grasp, careful to not touch his fingers. She securely fastened it on her wavy hair, hiding the small bump on the back of her head underneath her yellow hair.

"Thank-you." She politely thanked him just like how Mother taught her. She turned to the panting golden-brown dog beside her. She smiled at the animal and rubbed his head with the tips of her fingernails, right between his two floppy ears. The dog gave her a breathy smile with its droopy skin. "Who's this big guy?"

"Um, that's the Beast. Um, I mean Hercules. Yeah, Hercules." The Hispanic boy let out an awkward chuckle, scratching his neck. "Sorry about him running you over. He doesn't normally do that."

Marie tilted her head at him before standing up fully. The sidewalk was burning her skin and her poor arms. She could feel them scabbing and peeling already. Dusting herself off, she looked back to the boy. He too had stood up, gripping the dog's leash even tighter.

"Normally?" inquired Marie.

He shrugged nonchalantly. He tried to act like it was no big deal, but Marie saw through that. It looked just like how Eddie would casually remark to her and their parents that his team won yet another game. He tried to seem humble and modest, but they're pride and hubris alright. "Eh! You know the story. The town knows it, and they seem to never shut up about it."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I do."

The boy stared at her incredulously, his expression miffed. His eyes had blown wide and the eyebrows had skyrocketed to his hairline and ballcap as it would seem. Obviously, Marie could see just how surprised he was by her statement. She didn't understand what the big fuss was about, but it seemed very important to the teenager.

"Wait, wait, wait! Now wait for a second, lady." He waved his hands at her. His voice and actions showed his denial at her words, but he still questioned it. He was very confused. "You, you don't know who I am?"

Marie cocked her head to the side. Did the guy not seem to understand she didn't have a clue as to what he was talking about. She inquired, "Should I?"

"Does the name 'Benny the Jet' have any meaning to you at all?" Marie frowned. The boy badgered her still. "Have you even heard of it? Or maybe even of 'The Beast.' What about last summer? Any talk about it that then?"

"Nope, sorry."

The boy rubbed his face, dry laughter rubbed its way through his mouth like sandpaper. "You've been living under a rock or something, lady?"

"My name is Marie, not 'lady.'" She crisply corrected him, frowning even further. She was beginning to dislike the boy; he acted too much like her Eddie and his friends.

He rolled his eyes, but nodded, waving his hand off casually like it didn't matter; it was only a small detail to him. "Sorry, sorry. Marie." She nodded. "You seriously have no clue who I am, do ya?"

"Nope."

"¿Qué le pasa a esta chica?"

Marie frowned even further. She understood Spanish, seeing as most of the yard workers and that Mother hired only spoke that most of the time or their English was crass and choppy. Or a special case like Anita, who would begin cursing if something went wrong or Marie and Eddie broke another vase or made her clean up after them. She wanted to understand just what she was saying about her brother, so she could laugh and call him that too. He would be clueless.

Where her brother had decided to take on French- "The language of love. An easy way to hook the ladies, huh, Marie?"- she had taken Spanish. It was sensual and understandable. Most people she encountered and spoke within the Valley were fluent in Spanish or knew enough. It was now, where someone assumes that just because she's white that she can't understand Spanish, that she was happy to pick up on it. And picking on guys like this one was a perk too.

"Sorry," She huffed, crossing her arms. She decided now that she did not like this boy and he was rude, very rude. "But I think nothing is wrong with me."

He blinked, dazed by the summer heat and how much deeper he is digging his hole with this conversation. Mama had raised him better. "Shit. I'm real sorry about that. I just thought that- that, you know- um, nevermind. I didn't mean for you to... You know what, I should probably..." Suddenly, he could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead, soaking his armpits and the small of his back. Despite how dry the day was, it was stuffy and humid to him in that split second. His nerves were getting to him, like right before he batted those rich, ass-wipers from last summer; his voice was cracking and nausea was building in his gut. He fumbled with his fingers, feeling how clammy his skin had gotten. "You, you good?"

"Yes." Marie slowly said, the boy's weird behavior spiking her flight instinct. He was starting to worry her, and she didn't know how to react or what to do. Mother always said if she was clueless, just ignore it and walk the other way. But Marie could never do that; she couldn't handle the idea of herself being so selfish to walk away and ignore the problem. And now, seeing the older boy showing signs of heat exhaustion, she couldn't leave now. "I'm fine, thanks. Do, do you need some water? You look awfully red and you're sweating horribly. Maybe you should go inside?"

"I'm, I'm fine, chica."

Marie looked around and saw that Vincent's was only across the street now. She snatched Hercules' leash from his hand- "Hey! What do ya think you're doing?" and gave it short tug on the leash. The Mastiff obediently followed Marie to the crosswalk, panting after her. The Hispanic boy gave a vexed groan before following her.

"Hey! That's not your dog, lady- Marie!"

She looked left, right, left before walking swiftly across the burning tar to the other side of the street, feeling the heat even with her rubber sneakers. She couldn't understand how Hercules could bare it, but she had a feeling he was a tough dog, even underneath the slobber and flabby rolls. Marie showed no interest in the teen's protests, only having one mission in mind.

She could hear his curses and his All-Stars slapping the cement, running clumsily after her. When he slowed down, he unexpectedly felt a wave of dizziness; everything was fuzzy around him. Blinking, he squinted his eyes just like Squints. Still, nothing was coming into focus. His head and feet were numbing, but he could still his clammy skin.

Marie turned her head to see the tall boy strangling behind. Her hands quickly tied the leash to a metal bike rack underneath a large tree before bustling back over the boy, who was still on the street. She could hear an oncoming car honk, but she knew they would stop; they have to unless they would want manslaughter on their record. She tugged the boy's hand and slingshotted him into the sidewalk before quickly running after him. Her luck must of been drunk that day, because he was still standing when she joined him.

"Hey." She said, waving her hand in front of his face. He sluggishly blinked.

"Whas tha'?" He asked, his constants slurring; he was still blinking. With a great huff, she dragged the heat exhausted boy into Vincent's drug store.

The blast of cool air was refreshing and the smell of candy and soda pop brought a grin to her face. She always did like Vincent's whenever she and Anita would visit on Sunday mornings right after Sunday school. The rose-colored memories of her begging Anita to buy her cherry pop and tootsie rolls were still fresh as she let the boy go. Like she had predicted, he plopped into the plastic chair. Humming the King again, she walked over to the ice chest and pulled out two waters and one cherry coke before slamming it shut. She strolled to the medicine counter and patiently waited for Mr. Vincent to come by and ring her up.

"Heya, doll!" A man with slicked salt and pepper hair cheekily greeted her, a large smile plastered on his face. "Whatcha I do ya for?"

Marie smiled. "Hi, Mr. Vincent. How are you today?"

"Aw, little miss Marie Phillips!" A true smile finally shining on his face. He rests his elbows on the shiny counter, propping his chin on his knuckles like how children do nowadays. "Still as polite as ever. I'm doing fine and dandy now that my favorite customer has graced me today with her smile."

"And you're still cheesy as ever, Mr. Vincent." Marie preened under his compliments, a scarlet color powdering her cheeks. "I'm glad you're doing well."

"So am I." He agreed. He looked at the four bottles and then back to the young woman. "So I take it just the drinks then?"

She nodded, turning back to look at the dazed Hispanic in the chair. "Yessir. He needs some water and to cool off before he gets a heat stroke."

Mr. Vincent sighed, knowing far too well about the kid. "Yeah, Benny over there doesn't know when to quit with the baseball and the running around. Too many times I see his rag-tag team dragging his ass in here to cool off. Where are the little squirts anyway?"

She shrugged. "The dog he was walkin', the big Mastiff outside, ran over me when I was passing by. Then he went all ditsy and iI dragged him in here."

"Huh," Mr. Vincent chuckled, bemused by the boy's hysterics. "You woulda thought by now he would drink some water every once in awhile. That'll be two dimes, Miss Marie."

She slid the bill across the counter before a thought crossed her mind. "Oh! Sorry, Mr. Vincent." She apologized with a sheepish grin." I forgot, but Mrs. Anita also sent me down here with a list of groceries. Do you mind me grabbing them real quick and adding it on?"

"No worries, dear." He waved her off. "I can take the list and add it to the tab and write it all down. You go and pick up what you need and give the boy some water before he shrivels up like a raisin over there. His nonsense will drive away my customers!"

Marie's grin widened as she let out a loose giggle. She grabbed the chilled waters and cokes and walked over to the boy. He still hasn't given his name to her, which Marie found odd. Mr. V said it was "Benny", but surely couldn't be his full name. She had given hers to him after all. Mother said it was rude if a gentleman remained unnamed, even after they had a conversation. Marie was found this situation even odder because her Mother's unsensible advice keeps bubbling up in her thoughts.

She plopped down on the cool plastic chair beside the slouched boy. He had taken his ratty ball cap off and was sluggishly waving it back and forth. He was dazed, his eye half-lidded. There was a small patch of sweat at the top of his shirt, right on his breast collar. Marie could've sworn she heard a snore coming from him. Gently, she nudged him with her sneaker. He sprung to life spastically. He blinked slowly, gurgling noises coming from his mouth.

"Here," Marie spoke softly. She handed him the chilled bottle of water, pushing it into to his grasp. She made sure to not touch him. "Drink up. You have heat exhaustion."

"Thanks," muttered the Hispanic boy. Eagerly, he unscrewed the cap and downed the bottle with long gulps. Marie looked away; his Adam's apple was awfully distracting and weird to watch. She sipped her water, only nursing it to about halfway when he finished his with a satisfied burp. He must've forgotten there was a girl beside him because his manners were horrible. That's the only thing Marie could deduce with his dreadful behavior.

Marie handed him the chilled bottle of cola. "What's your name?"

"Benjamin, Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez," His confidence dripped from his words as his back straighten and he offered his hand to her. Marie shyly shook it. The skin was rough and sweaty. But his grip was firm, unlike how Father's friends would shake her hand. They always did it delicately, like her fingers would break if they squeezed too hard. "But you probably heard around from other folks that some prefer to call me 'Benny the Jet.' I'm fine with Benny or that, lady."

"Marie. I told you my name was Marie, Benjamin." She reminded him, quickly pulling her hand out of his rough ones. She didn't want to call him Benny; that seemed like a nickname only friends called each other. They had barely just met. Besides, his hands felt like sandpaper against her lotioned ones. "Like I said earlier, I never heard of that nickname before."

Benny scoffed as the cap of the soda popped off. Like the water, he downed the frizzy drink with ease. He pulled the glass drink away from his lips with a loud pop. Marie wrinkled her nose at the sound; he acted too much like Eddie's friends, and she was already displeased with him.

"You sure are crazy, Marie." Benny paused like he had an afterthought. "Hey, you got a middle name or something, because your name sure is fancy. Becoming a mouthful and all."

"Marie Jolene," She proudly said, crossing her arms. She narrowed her eyes at him. "You sure don't have any manners. Even after your dog ran me over and I saved you from heat exhaustion."

Benny's laugh was strange to Marie's ears. She doesn't really hear those kinds of laugh often; the kind of laughs that were loose and unrestricted. She had heard her brother's snickers; the kind that he and his buddies knew a secret Marie didn't. Then there was her mother's polite, shrilly laugh that was entirely sugary-sweet and processed. And then there was her father's business laugh. It was more like a deep, guttural laugh then a normal man. But Benny's laugh wasn't like any of theirs. Strange, Marie thought.

"You sure can be crass, MJ." He sighed, slouching deeper into his chair. She could hear him drop his drink down on the floor. "That's definitely refreshing, especially with these Valley girls and their 'polite' talk."

"Thanks?"

"Yeah, no problem." Benny looked over at Marie and saw her finishing her water bottle. She stood up and picked up his empty bottle too. She walked over to the trash and threw them in theirs. Her back was facing Benny. He smirked because now he could get a real good view of her ass without Marie noticing-

"I need to pick up some groceries for my mother." She suddenly said, turning quickly. Benny's eyes widen, quickly blinking and looking back at his ballcap. She didn't chastise him or slap him, so he figured he was safe. The whiff of panic and adrenaline felt like he was stealing second right under the pitcher's eyes.

"Um, okay, MJ." He slowly said. He looked back at her, and she was walking through the aisles. As she turned around and was walking back to him, she could see an assortment of items already stacking in her hands. Surely, she couldn't carry all of it. Benny quickly jumped from his seat and shuffled over to her. "Here. Just let me hold the stuff."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay."

It didn't take long, but Benny's arms were hurting from having to hold some heavy foodstuff like the bag of flour and sugar and having to balance the eggs on top. Slowly, they walked back over to the counter. Benny dumped the items carelessly onto the counter, shaking Mr. V awake.

"Heya Mr. V!" Benny amicably greeted.

"Son, I thought I told you before to drink some water. I'm tired of your friends dragging your ass in here to cool you off. Customers think you're on drugs or dead or something."

"Heh," Benny rubbed his neck. "Right. Sorry, Mr. V."

Mr. V scoffed, carefully placing the foodstuff into large paper bags. "You better apologize to Miss Marie for having to drag your ass and for letting that dumb dog run her over."

"Right, right. Thanks, MJ."

Marie blinked. "You're welcome."

"Here you are, Miss Marie. Your change and bags." He slid the paper bills and coins over to her, and she quietly pocketed them. Grabbing the three large bags into her arms, she gave Mr. V a polite smile and thank-you before walking back over to the door. It opened and closed with a dull chime of its bell. Benny was still standing at the counter, not knowing what to do next.

"Well, Mr. V. I gotta go and walk Hercules back over to Mr. Mertle's house now-"

"Son! If you don't get your dusty ass out of here and help that lady with her groceries, I'm gonna call your mama and let her whoop your ass in front of this store. Am I clear?"

Benny swallowed. "Crystal."

"What are you still here for? Do I have to get my Savage 99 out and shot two holes in your dumb head for you to leave?!"

"Bye, Mr. V!" Benny ran out of the drugstore faster than he had run from the Beast last summer, which was very, very fast.

He quickly untied Hercules and ran across the street. He didn't have to look hard for Marie. She was only a couple of yards ahead of him. His sneakers heavily pounded the cement as he ran to catch up with the girl. "Hey! Marie! Wait up!"

She turned her head to see Benny and Hercules running after her. She stopped and kindly waited for them to catch up. When Benny did, he let out short exhales to catch his breath. Hercules was heavily panting on the other hand.

"Yes?"

"Let me, let me help you with the bags." Benny breathlessly said.

Marie stared at him long and hard. Her green eyes watchful. "Okay."

"Okay," Benny grinned.


End file.
